For Our Day: Welcome & How to Join the Quest
“The Book of Mormon . . . was written for our day. The Nephites never had the book; neither did the Lamanites of ancient times. It was meant for us. Mormon wrote near the end of the Nephite civilization. Under the inspiration of God, who sees all things from the beginning, he abridged centuries of records, choosing the stories, speeches, and events that would be most helpful to us.”
Here is a brief overview of the For Our Day lessons—and some suggestions on how to use it.
Please do not feel obligated to complete all activities or watch/read all the resources each week! If all you can do is watch the video podcast and share your favorite parts with friends and family, you are doing awesome! If you have time to dig deeper in the resources and choose one activity for your primary class, family home evening, ward Sunday School, or a local study group, hooray! If you are able to dig really deep by doing every section, high five!
Remember “that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass… and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.” (Alma 37:6-7) Small efforts over time bring great rewards.
Podcast & Study Resources
Answer the Call
Each For Our Day lesson begins with a video podcast with fascinating history, doctrine, and research related to that week’s Book of Mormon reading assignment, and an inspiring call to action!
Every heroic victory begins with a normal, everyday person who, in one way or another, receives a call to stand, remember a hidden identity, and rise up to meet a challenge in their day. Stories like The Chronicles of Narnia captivate generation after generation because they resonate with our spirits. We, too, have been given a call.
The Lord is hastening His work to gather Israel. That gathering is the most important thing taking place on earth today. Nothing else compares in magnitude, nothing else compares in importance, nothing else compares in majesty.
— President Russell M. Nelson (“Hope of Israel” [worldwide youth devotional, June 3, 2018], supplement to the New Era and Ensign, 8.)
Each of us has an individual mission to fulfill in these winding up scenes of the last days, but that mission is part of a united charge we all possess to participate in the gathering of Israel. Unsurprisingly, this charge has been clearly laid out in the Book of Mormon.
For Our Day invites you to join the Nephite Quest—a journey of learning, becoming, and doing. We believe you will find great blessings—or treasures—along the way. Unlike many hero stories where the prize is held back until the very end, our merciful Father in Heaven blesses us greatly as we take small steps each day along the path.
Answer the Call will have a video each week that introduces the parallels found in the For Our Day model, following the Come Follow Me reading schedule. (For more information on the For Our Day model, see Answer the Call and Set the Course in Lesson 1.)
We try to keep these videos relatively short—under 30 minutes—so that you can listen while you’re getting ready in the morning or in the car on the way to work.
If you have limited time, we recommend that you watch the video in Answer the Call and choose one activity in Embark on the Journey. If you have a bit more time this week, move onto Set the Course and include All Hands on Deck!
Set the Course
The Set the Course section digs deeper into the information found in the video, and sometimes expands into far more! Some weeks the information will be typed out and ready for you to read right here in the lesson. Other weeks, this section will be a list of resources for you to go down whatever rabbit hole interests you. Either way, here is where you can really get to the meat of what is introduced in Answer the Call. Utilize this information as the Spirit directs for you, your family, and your callings.
Hands-On Activities & Service Opportunities
Hello! My name is Tina and I am the author of the “Embark on the Journey” and the “All Hands on Deck” activities you will be using in 2024.
Tina Bassett is a military wife and mama to three kiddos. She grew up in the Midwest, feels like a Southern belle, and now lives in Utah. She is an accomplished pianist and loves accompanying, especially on the high school and college levels, which feeds her heart for teenagers and young adults. The Bassetts homeschool their children, where Tina enjoys researching and writing family-centered, one-room-schoolhouse style curriculum for them. Tina looks forward to serving a senior mission with her husband, Cambrin, but in the meantime, loves to hunker down with a cup of tea, a fuzzy blanket, and a great historical fiction book.
Embark on the Journey
You have been led to this resource for a reason.
"Your life is carefully watched over, as was mine. The Lord knows both what He will need you to do and what you will need to know. He is kind and He is all-knowing. So, you can with confidence expect that He has prepared opportunities for you to learn in preparation for the service you will give."
You have an opportunity to not only learn, but to become—in preparation for service in the Kingdom of God. Becoming relies on action and is a process that the Lord is very interested in. It requires doing more than just reading or listening.
"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."
Embark on the Journey provides ideas for you to implement individually, in your home, or in your classes to interact with the content that has been given in the lesson. As you do these activities, the information will cement into your mind and the Spirit will have the opportunity to confirm truth and prompt you with things you can do to become what the Lord would have you be. This section is critical—please do not skim it and move on!
You may want to check out the Embark on the Journey section of Lesson 1 for some activities that will be helpful in getting you started on this quest. In particular, you’ll want a journal, the “I Am a Latter-day Nephite” resolution, and maybe a fun Book of Mormon reading chart. Just start where you are in the year—don’t feel like you have to backtrack and do every lesson, but grab these helpful tools and you’ll be good to go from here!
Note: While you absolutely may do every activity suggested if you would like, it is certainly not needed, nor are you limited by the ideas given here. Choose one or more that will work with your learning style, available time, or the group that you are working with. Even if you are an adult, don’t hesitate to choose an activity originally aimed at children—those can be the most fun!
Feel free to run with any other ideas that come to your mind! Allow the Lord to guide you in choosing the best activities for you. The ultimate goal is to engage with the material and become a “doer of the word.”
All Hands on Deck!
"We cannot make a permanent difference in the lives of people unless we involve them in serving others so that they can grow themselves. . . . Therein is their safety, to become involved in some phase of activity all up and down the line, from the youngest child to the oldest person.”
Now that you have had the opportunity to do a few of the activities in “Embark on the Journey”, it’s time to use your knowledge to bless others!
“The thirst for education that comes with the change the gospel brings can be a blessing or a curse, depending on our motives. If we continue to seek learning to serve God and His children better, it is a blessing of great worth. If we begin to seek learning to exalt ourselves alone, it leads to selfishness and pride, which will take us away from eternal life.”
— President Henry B. Eyring, “Education for Real Life,” May 6, 2001.
"As we become acquainted with truth in good sources of all kinds, we are better prepared to work in the world and serve in the kingdom of God. The Lord revealed, ‘The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth’ (D&C 93:36). All truth comes from Heavenly Father and is designed for the good of His children. God wants us to educate our minds, improve our skills, and perfect our abilities so we can be a better influence for good in the world, provide for ourselves, our family, and those in need, and build God’s kingdom."
Keeping knowledge to ourselves does not help us build God’s Kingdom or point others to Christ. Remember the call! Participate in this great work by sharing what you are learning and seeking ways to serve others! This section has some ideas of how you can Love, Share, and Invite.
Find the Treasure
This last section has testimonies from individuals and families who have implemented the principles found in this week’s lesson. As they share the blessings they have found by applying the Book of Mormon to their lives and standing forth as a Latter-day Nephite, we hope you will feel inspired to continue on this journey of learning, becoming, and doing. Treasures of knowledge, peace, guidance, charity, unity, and more await us all as we apply the principles that Mormon so carefully selected and included in the Book of Mormon for us—For Our Day!
